Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo opened the first Lead Me Home summit on homelessness on July 14. The summit highlighted reports on Monterey and Salinas, but offered little information on San Benito County.
(July 18, 2022) → Read the full Benito Link reportTenants still waiting on rent relief will now likely have more time before facing eviction. The Legislature voted to extend eviction protections through June 30. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature.
(March 31, 2022) → Read the full KQED Public reportSan Benito County’s homeless population has increased by 26%–or 75 people–since 2019. Much of this increase is reportedly linked to ongoing challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and county officials say there would be even more homeless residents without the …
The Board of the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers for Monterey and San Benito Counties (CHSP) announced that Genevieve Lucas-Conwell is the new incoming Executive Director of the Coalition. Joining CHSP from the Bay Area, Lucas-Conwell has served alongside the …
The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.
Gov. Newsom and the state legislature should consider allocating $40 billion of the state's $97 billion surplus to subsidize the building of low-income housing.
Special to the Free Lance San Benito County officials and property owners continue to seek more funding to provide more services for local homeless people, and to reduce the unhoused population.  The San Benito County Board of Supervisors discussed some …
How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.
A State Senate bill would allow quick rezoning for multi-family housing, as a new research study reveals the high cost of single-family zoning laws.
California's homelessness numbers continue to rise despite new spending on housing, services. Here's where the fight to end the crisis stands.